---

Brazil's Catholics for a Free Choice Housed in Building owned by Catholic Religious Order

By John-Henry Westen

SAO PAULO, April 24, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Brazil has led some Catholics to seek to correct scandalous situations in Brazil which have been allowed to fester by Catholic authorities in Brazil.  Topping the list is the fact that the pro-abortion group calling itself Catholic for a Free Choice is housed in a building owned by a religious order, sharing the building with the southern branch of the Brazilian Bishops Conference and the Brazilian Religious conference.

The Spanish Catholic news service ACI Prensa reported in July 2006 that the Carmelite province of Saint Elias [Province of Rio de Janeiro of the Carmelite Fathers, O.Carm.] which owns the building, rented the entire sixth floor of the building to the pro-abortion group.  The South Regional [Branch] of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference (CNBB) is located on the fifth floor of the same building, while the headquarters of the Brazilian Religious Conference is located on the seventh floor.

Catholics at the Rorate Caeli blog, which focuses on Catholic issues, were scandalized that the situation has not been resolved despite the upcoming visit of the Pope scheduled for May 9-14.  According to the bloggers, and confirmed by LifeSiteNews.com, the facts of the scandal are easily verifiable.

The webpage of Catholics for a Free Choice identifies the location of it's Brazilian branch office as in Sao Paulo on "Rua Sebastião Soares de Faria, 57" on the 6th floor.  (see the link here: http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/about/international/internationalpartners.asp )  And the office of the South Regional Brazilian Episcopal Conference website lists its address as on the 5th floor at the same address.  (see the link here: http://www.cnbbsul1.org.br/index.php?link=conteudo.php&id=94 )

The concerned Catholics thought that the upcoming Papal visit "would awaken the sense of shame among the Catholic hierarchy in São Paulo and throughout Brazil."  However, says the blog, "the situation has remained the same" and the Catholics are thus asking their fellow Catholics to express concerns by email to the following religious authorities:

His Eminence, the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Franc Cardinal Rodé, C.M. :

His Excellency, the Archbishop Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Archbishop Gianfranco Agostino Gardin, O.F.M. Conv. :

Prior General of the General Curia of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Father Carlo Cicconetti:

Vice-Prior of the General Curia of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Father Kevin Alban:

Archbishop Odilo Pedro Scherer, new Archbishop of São Paulo and General Secretary of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference (CNBB):

Spokesman of the Archdiocese of São Paulo:

Spokeswoman of the Papal Visit to São Paulo:

Visit the Rorate Caeli blog here:
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/

 Back to Top

---

MORE NEWS: LifeSiteNews.com Home Page  Last 10 Days   Archives   Special Reports

Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.